Do you have a nerd this holiday season, and you want to get them a comic book, but you don’t know what? They seem to have stacks upon stacks of Wolverine and Batman and even ones you’ve never heard of! Well, here is a list of 30 comic books that aren’t made by Marvel nor DC! That’s right, these comics feature heroes that are a little less mainstream, and your favorite comic fan might not have even heard of these.
Scroll through, and hopefully you’ll see something they might like, and you can surprise them with a new great comic!
The Walking Dead – Robert Kirkman
Introducing the first eight volumes of the fan-favorite, New York Times Best Seller series collected into one massive paperback collection! Collects The Walking Dead #1-48. This is the perfect collection for any fan of the Emmy Award-winning television series on AMC: over one thousand pages chronicling the beginning of Robert Kirkman’s Eisner Award-winning continuing story of survival horror- from Rick Grimes’ waking up alone in a hospital, to him and his family seeking solace on Hershel’s farm, and the controversial introduction of Woodbury despot: The Governor. In a world ruled by the dead, we are finally forced to finally start living.
The AMC show is of course based on this comic, but if you’ve never read it, you’ll be surprised how different the two are! It won’t be spoiled for you just because you’ve seen the onscreen version.
Descender – Jeff Lemire
Young Robot boy TIM-21 and his companions struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet. Written by award-winning creator, Jeff Lemire, Descender is a rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey. Lemire pits humanity against machine, and world against world, to create a sprawling epic.
Sweet Tooth – Jeff Lemire
Seven years ago, the Affliction raged like a forest fire, killing billions. The only children born since are part of a new breed of human-animal hybrids. Gus is one of these children: a boy with a sweet soul, a sweeter tooth—and the features of a deer.
But kids like Gus have a price on their heads. When vicious hunters descend on his isolated forest home, a mysterious and violent man called Jepperd rescues Gus. The hulking drifter promises to lead Gus to the Preserve, a fabled safe haven for hybrid children.
As the two cross this dangerous new American frontier, will Jepperd corrupt the boy he’s nicknamed “Sweet Tooth,” or will Gus’ heart change Jepperd?
Hellboy – Mike Mignola
The story jumps from Hellboy’s mysterious World War II origin to his 1994 confrontation with the man who summoned him to earth, and the earliest signs of the plague of frogs. Avoiding his supposed fate as the herald of the end of the world, Hellboy continues with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, fighting alongside Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and drafting Roger Homunculus into his own ill-fated service with the B.P.R.D.
If you have strong opinions about the David Harbour movie that just came out, whey don’t you take a look at the story as it should be.
Planetary – Warren Ellis
PLANETARY has been hailed as a timeless story that turned modern superhero conventions on their heads.Written by Warren Ellis (TRANSMETROPOLITAN) and with stunning art by John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men), this critically acclaimed, landmark series took a look at the inter-dimensional peace-keeping force known as Planetary. The trio on the ground includes Elijah Snow, a hundred-year-old man, Jakita Wagner, an extremely powerful woman, and The Drummer, a man with the ability to communicate with machines. Tasked with tracking down evidence of super-human activity, these mystery archaeologists uncover unknown paranormal secrets and histories, such as a World War II supercomputer that can access other universes, a ghostly spirit of vengeance, and a lost island of dying monsters.
Paper Girls – Brian K. Vaughan
In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this critically acclaimed story about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood.
A classic Kids on Bikes genre, if you’ve been itching for the next season of Stranger Things.
Saga – Brian K. Vaughan
Collecting the first 18 issues of the smash-hit series, this massive edition features a striking new cover, as well as special extras, including never-before-seen sketches, script pages, and a roundtable discussion with the creators about how SAGA is really made. Altogether, this hardcover contains over 500 pages for less than fifty bucks! Written by Eisner Award-winning “Best Writer” BRIAN K. VAUGHAN (Y: The Last Man, The Private Eye) and drawn by Harvey Award-winning “Best Artist” Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), SAGA is the story of Hazel, a child born to star-crossed parents from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war. Now, Hazel’s fugitive family must risk everything to find a peaceful future in a harsh universe that values destruction over creation. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in a sexy, subversive drama for adults that Entertainment Weekly called, “The kind of comic you get when truly talented superstar creators are given the freedom to produce their dream book.”
Injection – Warren Ellis
Once upon a time, there were five crazy people, and they poisoned the 21st Century. Now they have to deal with the corrosion to try and save us all from a world becoming too weird to support human life.
Trees – Warren Ellis
Ten years after they landed. All over the world. And they did nothing, standing on the surface of the Earth like trees, exerting their silent pressure on the world, as if there were no-one here and nothing under foot. Ten years since we learned that there is intelligent life in the universe, but that they did not recognize us as intelligent or alive.
Superior – Mark Millar
Twelve-year-old Simon Pooni was a normal kid with a great life, until multiple sclerosis hit. He lost the ability to walk, went blind in one eye and sometimes could barely speak. Every night, Simon would pray his multiple sclerosis somehow would go away. “Somehow” turned out to be a magic monkey named Orman, who granted Simon one wish. And with that, Simon stood transformed into a real-life version of Superior, the legendary comic-book hero. Simon spent one glorious week saving those in need, averting natural disasters – becoming the most-beloved man on the planet. But Orman ominously cautioned Simon all would be explained in one week. Will Simon be forced to go back to life in a wheelchair after being the world’s greatest hero? Faced with adversity, will he prove himself to truly be…Superior?
Nemesis – Mark Millar
The Umbrella Academy – Gerard Way
In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-three extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who’d previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, “To save the world.”
These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.
The Netflix show about superheroes kids with way too much baggage, was actually from a comic written by the lead singer of My Chemical Romance.
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys – Gerard Way
Years ago, the Killjoys fought against the tyrannical megacorporation Better Living Industries, costing them their lives, save for one — the mysterious Girl. Today, the followers of the original Killjoys languish in the Desert while BLI systematically strips citizens of their individuality. As the fight for freedom fades, it’s left to the Girl to take up the mantle and bring down the fearsome BLI!
Spawn – Todd McFarlane
Featuring the stories and artwork (by Todd McFarlane himself!) that laid the groundwork for the most successful independent comic book ever published. Spawn Origins Volume 1 includes the introduction of not only Spawn, but also a number of other memorable and menacing characters, including Malebolgia and the Violator.
This comic is being made into a movie coming out next year! Perhaps you should take a look and know about it before everyone else does.
Savage Dragon – Erik Larson
The earliest adventures of fandom’s favorite fin-head are collected for the first time in one volume as Savage Dragon defends Chicago from Overlord and the Vicious Circle! Considered by many to be the definitive Savage Dragon saga, this is the complete Overlord epic from start to finish, culminating in a battle that can only end one way! Guest-starring the WildC.A.T.S and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The Mask – John Arcudi
It has all the makings of an epic adventure: an ancient artifact is rediscovered, a mask of unknown origins, with unforeseen power and magic. But who knew that after donning this mask even the wimpiest geek would become an indestructible, shape-changing supertornado with a mind for mischief and an appetite for destruction?
Equally adept with gun, knife, bat, bomb, pie, or bat-knife-gun-pie-bomb, geek-turned-superfreak the Mask cuts a crazed swath of cartoon mayhem!
Are you saying that Jim Carrey was in a comic book movie? Yes, yes I am.
Lone Wolf and Cub – Kazuo Koike
A samurai epic of staggering proportions, the acclaimed Lone Wolf and Cub begins its second life at Dark Horse Manga with new, larger editions of over 700 pages, value priced. The brilliant storytelling of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of Goseki Kojima create a graphic-fiction masterpiece of beauty, fury, and thematic power.
Powers – Brian Michael Bendis
In a world where superheroes soar through the sky, follow homicide detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim on the dirty city streets below. Assigned to the “powers” special cases, they will face the worst their city has to offer.
The shocking murder of America’s superhero sweetheart, Retro Girl, has the world in mourning. The investigation takes Walker and Pilgrim from the city’s seedy underbelly to the gleaming towers that are home to immortal beings. As shocking truths about Retro Girl come to light, Walker finds that to solve this crime, he might have to reveal his own dark secret.
Wanted – Mark Millar
What if everything in your life was out of your hands and those around you propelled your fate? Your girlfriend left you for your best friend; your boss gave your job to someone better. What if then, after all this, someone gave you back total control? What if he revealed you were the next in line to join a secret society of super-villains that controlled the entire planet? Mark Millar and J.G. Jones provide a look at one man who goes from being the world’s biggest loser to the deadliest assassin alive.
Jupiter’s Legacy – Mark Millar
1932: Sheldon Sampson’s dreams about a mysterious source of power lead him, his brother Walter, and a group of loyal followers on a quest around the world. What they discover sets them on a course that will wrench a family apart and alter the world’s political stage! Decades after their journey, Sheldon and Walter are superpowered legends, world renowned for their heroism. But the offspring trained to live in their image have fallen desperately short. Rocked by one public scandal after another, Chloe and her brother Brandon are a dishonor to the generation before them. The rift reaches its breaking point when one branch of the family overthrows the government and struggles to rule at any cost – while the others must flee for their own safety. But when the failures of the corrupt leaders catch up to them, the world hovers on the brink of collapse — and the hidden heroes must emerge to take back their legacy!
Manhattan Projects – Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra
What if the research and development department created to produce the first atomic bomb was a front for a series of other, more unusual, programs?
Rat Queens – Kurtic J. Wiebe
Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they’re in the business of killing all god’s creatures for profit. It’s also a darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent monster-killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack!
Tank Girl – Jamie Hewlett
She’s back to wreck her own unique brand of havoc! From the depths of the outback she charges, astride her fabulous tank! Run for the Hills! It’s… Tank Girl!
Join everybody’s favourite beer-swilling, chain-smoking, kangaroo-worrying lunatic as she blitzes her way through a dazzling array of bizarre adventures, including bounty hunting, delivering colostomy bags to Australian presidents, kangaroo boxing… and many more outrageous and mind-warping thrills! Marking the 20th anniversary of Tank Girl, with a new introduction from Alan Martin, and rarely seen material from Jamie Hewlett, this is the start of the ultimate collection. Presented for the first time, in chronological order and in glorious black and white – the way nature intended!
Warning: Adults only!
Morning Glories – Nick Spencer
Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country… but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted, but troubled, students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves!
Y The Last Man – Brian K. Vaughan
Y: THE LAST MAN, winner of three Eisner Awards and one of the most critically acclaimed, best-selling comic books series of the last decade, is that rare example of a page-turner that is at once humorous, socially relevant and endlessly surprising.
Written by Brian K. Vaughan (LOST, PRIDE OF BAGHDAD, EX MACHINA) and with art by Pia Guerra, this is the saga of Yorick Brown—the only human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantly kills every mammal possessing a Y chromosome. Accompanied by a mysterious government agent, a brilliant young geneticist and his pet monkey, Ampersand, Yorick travels the world in search of his lost love and the answer to why he’s the last man on earth.
V for Vendetta – Alan Moore
Set in a futurist totalitarian England, a country without freedom or faith, a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask strikes back against the oppressive overlords on behalf of the voiceless. Armed with only knives and his wits, V, as he’s called, aims to bring about change in this horrific new world. His only ally? A young woman named Evey Hammond. And she is in for much more than she ever bargained for…
A visionary graphic novel that defines sophisticated storytelling, this powerful tale detailing the loss and fight for individuality has become a cultural touchstone and an enduring allegory for current events. Master storytellers Alan Moore and David Lloyd are at the top of their craft in this terrifying portrait of totalitarianism and resistance.
Sitting down and watching this movie every Novemeber 5th is a tradition in my house, and while the movie is a great adaptation, it could never be as amazing as the book.
American Vampire – Scott Snyder & Stephen King
Chronicling the history of a new breed of vampire, American Vampire by the legendary Scott Snyder and Stephen King is a fresh look at an old monster–a generational epic showcasing the bloodlust that lay hidden beneath America’s most distinctive eras.
Cunning, ruthless, and rattlesnake mean, Skinner Sweet is a thoroughly corrupt gunslinger. When European vampires come to the American Old West, they turn Skinner into a true monster: the very first American vampire. Skinner becomes something entirely new–a stronger breed of vampire immune to sunlight, who hates every last one of his aristocratic European ancestors.
Follow this dark symbol of the New World’s bloody path as he moves through American history’s most distinctive eras–from the Wild West in the 1880s to the glamorous classic Hollywood of the 1920s to mobster-run Las Vegas in the 1930s, and beyond. But as Skinner’s war with his predecessors inspires a mysterious society to rise and fight them both, his most upsetting decision might involve the first person he chooses to join his vampiric ranks: a struggling young movie star named Pearl Jones.
The Losers – Andy Diggle
This collection introduces The Losers, formerly an elite U.S. Special Forces unit that served as the covert bloody hand of America until they stumbled across a C.I.A. secret they couldn’t ignore. The C.I.A. tried to kill them, but they’re about to learn that it takes more than one try to eliminate The Losers.
Before he was Captain America, Chris Evans was in this movie, so just add that to the list of cool comic movies that man has been in.
Sex Criminals – Matt Fraction
Suzie’s just a regular gal with an irregular gift: when she has sex, she stops time. One day she meets Jon and it turns out he has the same ability. And sooner or later they get around to using their gifts to do what we’d ALL do: rob a couple banks.
The Nerdd 